Geno Smith and the Seahawks Fall Short in Wild Card Round

A mistake riddled second half is the Seahawks undoing as the 49ers move to the Divisional round

Seattle led 17-16 at halftime but mistakes mounted in the second half as the San Francisco 49ers seized momentum with an incredibly talented offense and an opportunistic defense to move past the Seahawks 41-23.

Geno Smith finished his first playoff career start with 253 yards and two touchdowns on 25-35 passing. 

Jan 14, 2023; Santa Clara, California, USA; Seattle Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith (7) runs in the second quarter during a wild card game against the San Francisco 49ers at Levi's Stadium / Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports

Smith and the Seahawks offense went without a first down on their first offensive possession despite facing third and short on both occasions and found themselves down 10-0 in the first quarter. 

On Seattle's third drive, Geno went 4-5 for 29 yards as the Seahawks moved the ball down to the San Francisco 21-yard line. Then, running back Kenneth Walker III punched into the endzone on four carries and the Seahawks were on the board but trailed 10-7 midway through the second quarter. 

San Francisco settle for a field goal on its next possession to go up 13-7 but Geno responded on the following drive, connecting with DK Metcalf for the 50-yard touchdown pass as the Seahawks grabbed a 14-13 lead with 2:40 left in the half. 

After trading punts, the 49ers snuck in a field goal with 18 seconds remaining in the half. However, a squib kick set Seattle up at the 38-yard line and after Geno scrambled up the middle for nine yard and a personal foul penalty moved the ball to the San Franciso 38-yard line, setting up a 56-yard field goal to give Seattle a 17-16 lead at halftime. 

San Francisco took the opening drive of the second half 75 yards on 13 plays and ate up 7:45 of the game clock to claim a six-point lead, 23-17.

Jan 14, 2023; Santa Clara, California, USA; Seattle Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith (7) makes a throw in the second quarter of a wild card game against the San Francisco 49ers at Levi's Stadium / Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports

The Seahawks appeared to be on the verge of answering the 49ers touchdown with one of their own but facing a third and 14 at the San Franciso 19, defensive Charles Omenihu knocked the ball out of Smith's hands and Nick Bosa recovered. 

The 49ers marched 70 yards down the field for the touchdown and completed the two-point conversion for a 31-14 lead early in the fourth quarter.

Geno Smith started the ensuing drive with a dart to Metcalf for 15 yards, but a holding call backed the Seattle offense 10 yards, an eligible man downfield, then a false start stalled the drive and Seattle was forced to punt the ball. 

Deebo Samuel hauled in a nine-yard pass 74-yards for a touchdown on the 49ers next possession, extending the lead to 21 at the 10:51 mark of the fourth quarter. 

Smith threw an interception on the first play of the following drive, and the San Franciso 49ers offense added a field goal to push the lead to 41-17 with 4:56 remaining in the game. 

In his unwillingness to give up, Smith produced one final touchdown drive as the Seahawks marched 76 yards and was capped off with a three-yard touchdown pass, but the two-point conversion failed. 

The onside kick was recovered by San Franciso with under two minutes remaining and were able to run out the clock as the Niner move to the divisional round with a 41-23 victory.

You can follow us for future coverage by liking us on Facebook & following us on Twitter:

Facebook - @MountaineersNow

Twitter - @MountaineersNow and Christopher Hall @WVHallBilly